Land Rover has confirmed that its new long-awaited next-generation Defender model will be fully revealed during 2019 with first customer deliveries from 2020.

As the rugged new 4X4 continues its testing phase - already seen on UK roads under camouflaged disguise - the British manufacturer said prototypes have arrived on US soil in the New Year as part of the off-roader’s world-wide extreme capability testing.

Available in short- and long-wheelbase versions, prices are expected to start from around £40,000 - but there's a good chance it won't be built in the UK.

Not built in Britain: Land Rover has yet to confirm it, but it's widely believed that production of the new Defender will take place at the firm's new state-of-the-art facility in Slovakia

The new would be another blow to the firm's UK workforce, following a series of job cuts - the latest coming just before Christmas - and voiced concerns about the impact of Brexit by Jaguar Land Rover.

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The respected international journal Automotive News Europe reported earlier this month: ‘The Defender will be built in JLR's 1.4-billion-euro plant in Nitra, Slovakia, which opened in October, IHS Markit has said.

‘The plant has a capacity of 150,000 vehicles with the possibility of doubling that with further modifications.’

The factory already builds the Land Rover Discovery large SUV, which moved from its former production site of Solihull in the Midlands.

Production of the iconic Defender ceased at the Solihull plant on Friday 29 January 2016

The Defender is legendary, and a firm favourite of Queen Elizabeth II, pictured here driving her Defender 110 to the stables in Sandringham

The next-generation Defender is expected to be priced from around £40,000

In a statement the firm said: ‘Land Rover UK today announces something to celebrate in the New Year; the new Defender will be revealed during 2019 and on sale in 2020.’

It noted: ‘Testing of the new vehicle is already underway around the world with the first development mules and prototypes reaching North American shores earlier this month.

‘Testing on the continent provides valuable data to engineers given the wide variety of terrain and surfaces available in America.‘

The car will be unveiled in its final production form towards the end of 2019. It's likely to take place at a special Land Rover event filled with glitz and glamour

The utilitarian 4x4 will be on sale in 2020, Land Rover UK officials have confirmed

Prototypes, like the one seen here, are being extensively tested in North America ahead of its arrival to the US market

Land Rover said its engineers will subject the vehicle to rigorous test extremes ‘to make sure the new Defender is the most off-road capable Land Rover vehicle ever’.

Test vehicles will operate in temperatures as low as -40 Celsius and as high as 48 Celsius and at altitudes of 13,000 feet above sea level.

Jaguar Land Rover UK managing director Rawdon Glover said: ‘We are enormously excited to be revealing the first member of the Defender family during 2019 with UK customers taking delivery in 2020.

‘The Defender nameplate stands for durability and alongside Range Rover delivering ultimate luxury and Discovery offering the best versatility in the market, we will have an SUV for every customer requirement.’

Assessments are being carried out to ensure the Defender is 'the most off-road capable Land Rover vehicle ever', according to the manufacturer

Test vehicles will operate in temperatures as low as -40 Celsius and as high as 48 Celsius

The car will also be put through its paces at extreme heights, with prototypes taken 13,000 feet above sea level

With the judgment of faithful Defender purists in the balance, Land Rover says the next-generation Defender will be‘a revolutionary product with broad appeal, an all-new exterior and interior design, which nevertheless is ‘respecting Defender’s unmistakable shape' - as you can see from the images.

Land Rover said: ‘When it debuts in 2019, the new model will represent 70 years of innovation and improvement; honouring the model’s heritage for rugged durability, while remaining a Defender for the 21st century.’

Prices are set to start from around £40,000, though Land Rover is expected to have a range of models under the famed moniker.

The next-generation Defender will be available in short- and long-wheelbase versions

A hotter SVR model could also appear, with Land Rover hoping to create a family of Defender models

It means prices for the robust offroader could scale as high as £70,000, according to reports

As well as short- and long-wheelbase versions, there could also be a high-performance SVR model and other more luxurious takes on the Defender, with prices estimated to rise as high as £70,000 for the offroader.

The previous Defender, launched originally in 1948 as a Land Rover Series 1, ceased production in January 2016.

Second hand values have since become collectors’ items and rocketed in value - forcing owners to safeguard their vehicles with car thieves targeting the in-demand classic.

Billionaire British tycoon Sir Jim Ratcliffe is also planning a ‘back to basics’ 4X4 to fill the gap left by the original Defender.

When the Defender does go on sale, it will be the first time it has been available as a new model for 4 years

These images show it is in-keeping with the design of the model it succeeds, with a very boxy silhouette

Land Rover said: ‘The Defender nameplate stands for durability and alongside Range Rover delivering ultimate luxury and Discovery offering the best versatility in the market, we will have an SUV for every customer requirement’

The legend of the Land Rover Defender

In 1948 the Land Rover is launched at the Amsterdam Motor Show after the Rover company authorised the development of an 'all-purpose vehicle' similar to the Willys Jeep.

The Series I had an 80-inch wheelbase and pushed out 50bhp from its 1.6 litre engine taken from a Rover P3. The first cars cost £450.

Within a year, the British Army began testing the new vehicle.

The Land Rover Defender and its predecessors has had a long association with the Royal Family who have owned a number of the rugged vehicles

Soon, the Land Rover had a larger 1.8litre engine producing 52bhp.

By 1953, the Royal Family has its first Land Rover, which had been stretched to 86 inches, while in 1954 a long wheel base version of 109 inches was introduced.

In 1957, the Landrover received its first diesel engine.

In 1958, the Series II was launched with a larger 2.25-litre petrol engine.

By the 1966, 500,000 Land Rovers had rolled off the production line.

In 1971, the Series III is launched and this coincides with the 750,000th car produced.

By 1976, the number of Land Rovers had passed one million.

In 1979, the glorious 3.5litre V8 engine is fitted to the Land Rover.

The Land Rover Defender was produced for almost 70 years with more than two million versions - some of them highly modified like this Lara Croft version - rolling off the West Midlands production line

Soon, the County Station Wagon offering a degree of refinement is launched in 1982.

The 110-inch One-Ten model replaces the Series III and has coil suspension rather than the primitive leaf springs on earlier Land Rovers. It also has a five-speed gearbox with a synchromesh, making driving considerably easier.

During the 1980s, the car is further refined with a choice between a 2.5litre petrol or diesel engine - as well as the glorious V8.

The Land Rover Defender replaces the existing models.

By 2007, the Defender is radically changed to adhere to new safety rules, including the fitting of forward facing seats in the back of the station wagon, as well as a more modern dashboard.

As the Defender celebrated its 65th anniversary with the LXV Special Edition in 2013, it was clear that the car was no longer going to be able to meet modern safety and emissions requirements.

As a result, the final Defender rolled off the production line in January 2016.

However, it is estimated that 70 per cent of all Landrover Defenders ever produced are still operating somewhere around the world.

In total, more than two million were produced over the course of almost 70 years.

The British military has been an enthusiastic customer of the versatile Land Rover

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